There is no doubt that the increase in smart phones and electronics of all kinds are increasing the demand for battery sources.  Here is why they think these mushroom batteries can play a part:

With the anticipated increase in batteries needed for electric vehicles and electronics, a cheaper and sustainable source to replace graphite is needed. Using biomass, a biological material from living or recently living organisms, as a replacement for graphite, has drawn recent attention because of its high carbon content, low cost and environmental friendliness.

UC Riverside engineers were drawn to using mushrooms as a form of biomass because past research has established they are highly porous, meaning they have a lot of small spaces for liquid or air to pass through. That porosity is important for batteries because it creates more space for the storage and transfer of energy, a critical component to improving battery performance.

Who would have thought?  Hats off to the team at UC Riverside and we’re anticipating more from this clever team and area of research.

thanks to ucr.edu for the great info